(Once again) their paths continued to change
by OregairuLamp
Summary: A rewrite of my original story. Story-wise, a new member is introduced into the Service Club after New Years break ends. [Male OC]
1. Prologue

_Change. This word gets thrown around way too casually._

 _To quote George Bernhard Shaw, "Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything"._

 _It's an idea society willingly accepts with open arms, and forces down other people's throats. You can see it everywhere: from self-important people who somehow believe that changing themselves will make them a better person, to large corporations who think that changing their logo will increase their sales._

 _You could certainly call it change, but is it really progress?_

 _The answer is undeniably no. Those self-important people will only change how they act or how they look, but inside, they're still the same shitty person. And as for the companies, all they've done is waste my time. I don't want to spend ten minutes looking for the shampoo Komachi asked me to get, only to realize I've passed it four times without recognizing it._

 _That's my precious time you're wasting, you know? I have important stuff to do, like rereading light novels from an author who hasn't released the next volume in over a year..._

 _But the type of change that bothers me most, is the kind that naive kids will come up with. For example, a graduating middle schooler, fed up with the despicable institution he's attended for years, has decided to go through an image change and start his high school debut as a cool and sociable kid. Only to get hit by a car on the first day._

 _Tragic, but there's always a silver lining. You see, this entering high schooler knew from the beginning that there was no hope for him, but he still desperately wanted to believe that he could change. That's why when he found himself in a hospital, he was relieved. He now had an excuse, "Since I'm entering late, there's no way I'll be able to fit in with all those people. They've already made connections with each other, so when I come in, I'll just be an outsider to them"._

 _And with that, he could push the blame onto something else._

 _That's why change is overrated. It's only for those that can't live with themselves. And so, this young boy learned a valuable lesson..._

 _But he wouldn't be left alone. No...someone had to force him into a certain club, and inside that club, he struggled to uphold the beliefs that kept him safe._

 _Safe from what, you say? Everything. From failed exams to flirtatious girls. There was nothing that could penetrate his stone-cold wall of logic, built from the countless experiences he's endured. Neither an ice cold beauty who got off on verbal abuse, nor a warm yet energetic pink haired girl._

 _Or so he thought. But before he knew it, he was standing in front of his companions, laying out his broken heart for them to see, suffering from endless abuse and neglect._

 _And then, they ran. Ran away from that which confused them._

 _But they didn't mock him, nor did they laugh. They didn't spread it around like a bad joke, or gossip with all their friends._

 _No, on the contrary, they stopped running. And then they faced him, holding in their eyes the same desire he could finally put into words: To understand._

 _..._

 _What was I talking about again?_

 _Well, in any case, I guess not all change is bad._


	2. Another Occupied Seat (Part 1)

As I read my book, I picked up my tea cup, warmed by the contents inside, and drank from it, allowing that warmth to enter and spread throughout my body. Then, I carefully set it down on the table without making a sound, so as not to disturb the peaceful air that surrounded the club room.

After the hectic events during Christmas, we went on break both from this school and this club, but sitting here once again, I have to admit, I missed this place.

Only a little though.

As for its inhabitants, I met up them a few days ago, so it's not like I missed them too or anything.

As I stealthily peeked at them, I was reminded of some embarrassing memories, so I focused my attention on my book where the word fox popped out, causing a certain underclassman to come to mind. Noticing that Isshiki wasn't here, curiosity plagued my mind, but wanting to preserve the tranquility of this room, I hesitated to speak.

Eventually, my desire to know won out and I turned to Yuigahama, who was currently busy munching away on snacks, and broke the silence.

"Hey Yuigahama, do you know where Isshiki is?"

The crunching promptly ceased, and a pair of curious eyes directed themselves at me, but before she could answer, I heard another voice.

"I was wondering why the club seemed more quiet than usual, so it was because of Isshiki-san's absence.."

After hearing me talk, Yukinoshita looked up from her book and muttered in a small voice as she turned her gaze to her left, staring at the empty seat.

By this time, Yuigahama had swallowed what was in her mouth and spoke,

"Ahaha, Iroha-chan does make it a bit more lively in here, huh? She texted me earlier saying that she was busy with Student Council stuff today."

 _Well, it's good that she's taking her job more seriously now._

But the fact that she texted Yuigahama about it raised some concerns which I inadvertently spoke out loud,

"Why does it sound like she's actually a member of this club..."

Hearing that, Yukinoshita sighed as she looked at the steam rising out from her tea cup.

"It does certainly seem that way, doesn't it?"

Noticing a weight of gloominess being placed in the air, Yuigahama laughed awkwardly to relieve it,

"Ahaha..."

But before the silence could sink in once again, the door was thrust wide open with a loud thud, causing the three of us of jump.

"Yo, everyone!"

Entering the room without any sort of hesitation was Hiratsuka-sensei, announcing her arrival. To my left, I heard opposing reactions to the same event,

"Sensei! Yahallo!"

"Hah...Hiratsuka-sensei. Please knock..."

Agreeing with the second one, I added,

"Yeah, you almost gave me a scare. I thought Isshiki just arrived."

Immediately followed by Yuigahama exclaiming, "That's why you agreed?!"

Then I saw Hiratsuka-sensei's eyes soften as she looked at us.

"Well, I'm glad you guys are fine now."

I felt my face redden from hearing those words and looked to my left to see the two of them in a similar situation while looking down.

 _C'mon guys, this only makes it more awkward._

Hoping to move things along and push away the unease, I questioned Sensei's reason for the visit,

"..So, why are you here?"

Turning her head to answer me, I saw a small smile appear her face as if she understood my intentions, but it quickly disappeared when she said in blunt manner,

"I need your guys' help."

 _Really? It's like our first day back, you know?_ , is what I wanted to say, but the look in her eyes spoke more clearly than her words. It showed a sort of sadness I couldn't place my finger on. But as I was searching for it, Yukinoshita's voice interrupted me.

"I see, could you please elaborate?"

Sensei nodded, but didn't answer and instead turned to the door.

"Hey, you. Get in here already."

Then, the first thing I saw was a blinding light followed by a male student who seemed to appear out of nowhere. After a second, I realized the light came from his glasses which reflected itself onto my eyes.

Taking a look at him, I noticed his messy black hair which looked to be combed down at first, but ended up being thrown in to disarray by what was probably by the wind. Aside from that, everything else seemed ordinary. Good posture, unmodified school uniform, decent looks.

 _In other words, totally looks like a normie._

As I continued to examine him, Hiratsuka-sensei asked him in reprimanding tone,

"About time you came in, why were you just waiting there?"

The student, who was facing her, seemed unresponsive, almost as if he hadn't heard her, then after a few seconds of awkward silence, he made a small jolt and replied,

"..I thought it might be rude to just enter without being invited in."

 _What, you a vampire or something? Aren't you supposed to sparkle in the sunlight? Oh maybe, all the sparkle went to your glasses. I see, you're a vampire, after all._

Hiratsuka-sensei didn't look all that pleased with that answer, but it seemed that a certain manner-loving girl did.

"Ara, it seems like this one understands proper social etiquette."

She glanced over at Hiratsuka-sensei while giving that frosty comment, making it obvious what her remark was alluding to.

The receiver clearly understood, evident from her slight twitch which was not unlike the sender's beforehand, though she made a valiant attempt to seem unshaken.

"Ah...Un. That's right. Good job, I was just testing you. Ha..haha..."

 _Um, Hiratsuka-sensei? Everyone here can see that's just a straight-up lie, you know? Well, except maybe Yuigahama._

Turning to see her reaction, it seemed like her attention was more focused on the student in front of us. I can't really tell what she's thinking, but her eyes appeared to be looking for something while staring intently at him, as if he was hiding it.

To quell some of that wonder, I pushed things along,

"So, what does this guy need help with?"

 _Seeing that he looks like a normie, I hope it's not something stupid like, "I want to confess to the girl I like!"...that didn't work out well the last time._

Bringing her attention back to me, Hiratsuka-sensei spat out contradictory words,

"Ah, he doesn't have a request for you guys..."

 _Huh?_

"I'm the one with the request."

 _That's a bit unexpected. What's this guy doing here then? Don't tell me-_

 _Just because you can't find a man, doesn't mean you can force a student to do that, okay? You can't take someone like that because nobody wants to take you, you know?_

As I was removing myself from that delusion, I looked at Yukinoshita and Yuigahama, again with very different reactions. Yuigahama, on one hand, looked pretty surprised to hear a teacher ask a student for a request, but Yukinoshita didn't seem all that bothered by it, as if this wasn't the first time.

Yukinoshita closed her eyes and took a sip from her tea cup, repeating the question which had went unanswered,

"Again, Hiratsuka-sensei. Could you please elaborate?"

Hiratsuka-sensei momentarily looked at the student whose head was facing the window, then made small breath barely noticeable. Her eyes moved back to Yukinoshita, then she shifted into a commanding stance with her hands on her hips.

"I want to put this boy into the Service Club."


End file.
